With all the fans of Audi or many European premium car companies in North America, true enthusiasts to a brand wonders why the smaller, more accessible vehicles are kept on the East end of the Atlantic. Either a matter of economics, prediction of tastes or fear disrupting their luxury brand with too many entry-level vehicles traditionally keeps subcompact and compact cars off North American soil.

Introduced in Europe, the A1 came to life from the same chassis used for the Volkswagen Polo (another car some American have summoning unsuccessfully) as the Audi brand’s challenger against the BMW 1 Series or Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Sharing similar expense pressures of driving, the motorists inside countries like France, Germany and the United Kingdom have been battered hard by higher fuel prices on top of car insurance costs. Luxury cars like the Audi A1 are creations based on necessity returning the market as a sporty personal hatchback. Spawned initially in three-door form, the Audi A1’s five-door version charms the tight European roads with youthful looks and practicality.

The 2012 Audi A1 Sportback is another product the German auto company wishes to link thoughts of performance with practicality. While the Sportback name appears more common on the European Audi vehicle line-up, the S7 Sportback brought to the United States lends understanding to the marketing and design principle the five-door A1 looks to accomplish. Adding two additional doors for the rear passengers, the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback’s persona is casually altered. Rather being a nifty sport look, the five-door version of the A1 Sportback is propelled as a more considerate, mature existence. Measuring a total length of 3.95 meters (155.52 inches), the Audi A1 Sportback is more than 14.5 inches shorter than the smallest North American Audi offering, the A3. The A1 Sportback incorporates the new Audi brand design traits including the flared wheel wells and the furious-looking front headlamp housings. Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights can be optioned on the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback. On the back of the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback, SuperRed LED taillight units quickly warn following vehicles. Showing that Audi’s knowledge of materials stretches beyond aluminum, one-third of the five-door A1 Sportback consists of high strength steel.

Structurally stable on a front-wheel drive train (there is no mention of quattro all-wheel drive), the Audi A1 Sportback invokes a strong sense of control with an electronic stability program, strong brakes featuring front ventilation and an electronic limited slip differential. In different trim levels, the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback sports a trendy assortment of wheels. 2012 Audi A1 Sportback models trimmed in the Attraction version wears rather basic 15-inch steel wheels. The Ambition trim model of the A1 Sportback upgrades the outer look with 16-inch alloys with optional 17-inch cast aluminum and quattro GmbH sourced 18-inch wheels perfecting appearances. An additional outside styling touch is a two-tone colouring scheme on the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback accenting the roof against the list of 12 exterior colours.

With the cabin opened by the two new passenger doors, occupants inside the Audi A1 Sportback partake in a delightfully spacious interior surrounding. Up to 32.49 cubic feet of cargo room is created in the Audi A1 cabin when the rear seats are folded. Helping to create a comfortable environment for adult passengers, the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback comes standard equipped as a four-seat vehicle. Optional features provided on the 2012 A1 Sportback includes five-passenger seating, 14-speaker Bose surround sound system, Audi MMI navigation plus with a 6.5-inch screen and the Internet equipment as well as software that can turn the vehicle into a WLAN hotspot.

In touch with the European tastes for diesel power and small gasoline engines, the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback is propelled by a selection of six power plants. Thee gasoline and three Audi TDI engine choices all configured with four cylinder banks, entry-level power comes from a 1.2 TFSI powerplant producing 86 horsepower. Top gasoline power for the 2012 Audi A1 is realized with a supercharged and turbocharged 185 horsepower, 1.4 liter inline-4 that allows the premium subcompact to run from 0 to 62 miles per hour in a stout 7 seconds flat. The performance-leading diesel for the 2012 A1 Sportback is a 2.0 TDI that combines 143 horsepower with average fuel economy said to be over 57 miles per gallon. Five-speed and six-speed manual transmissions and a 7-speed twin-clutch S tronic gearbox are available through the Audi A1 Sportback’s engine line-up.

While the potentially lower rates of van insurance could tempt for more financially strapped families, the more energetic presence of smaller utility cars is a solid way to retain a zest for life. Soon to be a realization of automotive customers in Munich in 2012, motorists in American cities are not expected to see the A1 Sportback for the immediate future. However, Audi has a history of being receptive to North American interests in European-only vehicles. Just like the TTRS and the RS5, the Audi A1 Sportback could only be a matter of a petition away.